Does great art really need to be validated and verified with an ‘official’ blue tick?

By Leon Haasbroek

As 2025 begins, I find myself reflecting on the missteps of the past and grappling with questions like: Why has our creativity become so stunted and superficial, reduced to analytical metrics and corporate gains? We are living in an era where creative processes are measured solely by their return on investment, where traditional commercials are being replaced by influencer-driven content produced at a fraction of the budgets once allocated. This is a time where speaking up for your worth as a creative risks being labelled as "difficult." Corporate creative structures, once thriving on ingenuity and artistic nuance, now prioritize data-driven strategies, leaving little room for authentic expression. I've observed a significant shift in how creatives engage with corporate environments and how the industry is being forced onto a defensive path - justifying its processes and outputs against algorithms designed to serve capitalistic agendas.

Reflecting on the state of South Africa's Creative and Cultural Industry (CCI) sector, it is disheartening to see how little support it receives from both government and the private sector. Instead, creatives are often relegated to producing products and services dictated by client perceptions of consumer relevance, with little regard for the deeper truth: that genuine creativity is the most authentic expression of humanity. We are, after all, creations of the Creator, and thus inherently creative ourselves.

“Creativity involves breaking out of established patterns,

in order to look at things in a different way”

Edward De Bono

Yesterday, as I read a press release from one of Africa’s premier fashion labels, Viviers, I felt a familiar frustration resonate - the unspoken tension of creatives being forced to "regulate" their creativity in pursuit of financial gain. Join me as we explore the artistic vision behind Viviers’ Autumn/Winter 2025 collection, "(he)ART OFFICIAL", showcased at Pitti Uomo. This collection stands as a tribute to artistry and sustainability, celebrating the use of 100% South African Merino Wool in partnership with Campaign for Wool and Cape Wools SA.

VIVIERS’ Autumn Winter 25 collection, “(he)ART OFFICIAL,” explores the relationship between raw human feelings and the act of authentic creation. By opening ourheart chakra as the peaceful eye or the heart within the storm, like within a tornado, our collection suggests that the answer to authenticity lies within the genuine emotions of soul creativity and artistic expression, found only within oneself.

The wordplay within the title alludes to the splitting of human consciousness into two polarised directions; are you choosing an artificial or an ‘art official’ approach to life? The collection deals with the contrast between genuine emotion, empathy and creativity versus manufactured, possibly commercialized or "(Instagram) official" forms of art, that have been controlled and curated by authoritative structures, with other agendas. Does great art really need to be validated and verified with an ‘official’ blue tick, or can the human heart perhaps better resonate with truth within creativity?

Have artists or creativity become a commodity? Has fashion and art become more artificial (or Instagram Official) since creatives have to report to boards of investors and survive on the mercy of capitalism or a crowd pleasing, ‘like/comment/share?” 

Has art become a manufactured performance that serves the system of elites or are we choosing to revert back to truthful he(art) to find genuine solutions for our world, without obeying to social conditioning?

Is the role of art and artists not to inspire each other and society through genuine creativity, new ideas, the frequency channelled through music, and a philosophical, transcendental vision birthed from the stillness within? 

Is humanity unknowingly experiencing internal tension between the personal (heart) and the formal or structured (official), within the game of governing systems? 

As a South African clothing brand, VIVIERS has had to shift its perspective regarding production and access to resources, rethinking ‘inside the box’ to find the abundance of sustainable talent and raw materials that our continent has to offer. Limitations, rather than hindering innovation, can actually be a source of creativity and insight. “(he)ART OFFICIAL” underscores VIVIERS’ dedication to innovation, sustainability, and responsible, traceable sourcing. The new collection shines a spotlight on the exceptional qualities of 100% South African Merino Wool, in partnership with the Campaign for Wool, along with VIVIERS’ ongoing collaboration with Cape Wools.

The capsule consists of in-house tailored pieces made from vintage 100% South African Merino worsted Wool, still woven at SA Fine Worsted in the 2000’s, combined with artisanal, hand-felted Merino Wool from Stephanie Bentum, manual-machine Merino Wool knitwear, handmade by WRAPT and new ready-to-wear pieces 100% South African Merino Wool from Namakwaland, knitted by Gerber and Co.

“(he)ART OFFICIAL” pushes us to re-examine what is real, what is sincere, and what it means to fully embody our potential as conscious beings. This collection reminds us to awaken and step into the fullness of our creative power.

In Partnership with @capewools @campaignforwool & @pittiuomo_offic @capewoolstandard

PHOTOGRAPHY by @vanthephotographerman

MODEL: @hatsidawg

LOCATION: GLASSHOUSE, VIVIERS, JOHANNESBURG

STYLING & ART DIRECTION: @lezanneviviers

MUSIC by @gigli_alessandro

ARTISANS:

Artisanal Felting by @Stephanie.bentum.textiles

Knitwear by @wraptknitwear

Ready-To-Wear Knitwear by @gerber_and_co

Hand Embroidered VIVIERS Monogram Labels by @karossart

Vintage SA Fine Worsted Suiting from @thetextilista